Common Core State StandardL.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: Video of a current news event is presented for discussion to encourage student participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the video. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support.

News Video for: 04/02/2018

Amazon comes under Trump attack

President Donald Trump went after Amazon on Twitter last week, claiming the corporate behemoth pays little or no taxes to state and local governments, shuts down thousands of retailers and causes the U.S. Postal Service to lose money. Amazon paid $412 million in taxes for the 2016 tax year. While the postal service loses money overall, it makes money on delivering packages. Amazon boss Jeff Bezos also owns The Washington Post, a favorite media target for the president’s attacks on “fake news.”

Class discussion: Why do you think President Trump is attacking Amazon? Is he angry about the company or its boss and The Washington Post? Is Amazon putting traditional retailers out of business? What about the workers in those businesses? Is Amazon hiring workers? How secure are those jobs? Should Amazon pay more in taxes? How much tax does President Trump pay? What happened to Amazon’s stock after the president’s tweet? How have his other tweets impacted the stock market?